Education

Singapore teacher threw volleyball at autistic boy and threatened to cage him

October 08, 2018

A relief teacher going through marital problems took them out on a nine-year-old autistic boy, a court heard, by throwing a volleyball at his head and threatening to put him in a cage during a physical education (PE) class.

The 33-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the victim’s identity, also locked the boy in an equipment room with the lights and fan switched off.

He was sentenced to three months’ jail and fined $3,000 by a district judge on Oct 8, 2018, having previously pleaded guilty to one charge each of child abuse and wrongful confinement of the boy, who is now 10.

First incidentThe first incident took place during a PE lesson on March 6, 2017, when the boy – who also has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – had been pacing back and forth in front of his classmates while the teacher addressed the class.